functioning road system, including keeping inventoried roadless areas roadless (with science-based 

 exceptions made for forest health, restoration, and other national needs). 



By implementing such a program we can maintain grizzly bears while still providing for other 

 appropriate uses. Reasons for the decline of brown/grizzly bears in North America are excessive human- 

 caused mortalitv and habitat loss. Habitat loss results from factors such as conversion of native 

 vegetation to agriculture, depletion of preferred food resources (i.e. whitebark pine and huckleberries), 

 disturbance, displacement from human developments and activities (roads, mines, subdivisions), and 

 fragmentation of habitat into increasingly smaller blocks inadequate to maintain viable populations and 

 connectivity. 



The following general management guidelines are applicable coordination measures. While FWP 

 recognizes the need to append habitat standards to USPS plans and to NPS and BLM management plans 

 for the recovery zones, these general guidelines should be considered when evaluating the effects of 

 existing and proposed human activities in identified seasonally important habitats for a variety of 

 wildlife species including grizzlies on federal and state lands. 



1. Identify and evaluate, for prioritized projects proposal, the cumulative effects of all activities, 

 including existing uses and other planned projects. Potential site-specific effects of the project being 

 analyzed are a part of the cumulative effects evaluation which will apply to all lands within a 

 designated "biological unit". A biological unit is an area of land ecologically similar and includes all 

 of the year-long habitat requirements for a sub-population of one or more selected wildlife species. 



2. Avoid human activities, or combinations of activities, on seasonally important wildlife habitats that 

 may result in an adverse impact on the species or reduce the long-term habitat effectiveness. 



3. Base road construction proposals on a completed transportation plan which considers important 

 wildlife habitat components and seasonal-use areas in relation to road location, construction period, 

 road standards, seasons of heavy vehicle use, and road management requirements. 



4. Schedule road construction times to avoid seasonal-use periods for wildlife as designated in species- 

 specific guidelines. 



5. Locate roads, drill sites, landing zones, etc., to avoid important wildlife habitat components based on 

 a site-specific evaluation. 



6. Roads that are not compatible with area management objectives, and are no longer needed for the 

 purpose for which they were built, will be closed and reclaimed. Native plant species will be used 

 whenever possible to provide proper watershed protection on disturbed areas. Wildlife forage 

 and/or cover species will be used in rehabilitation projects where appropriate. 



7. Impose seasonal closures and/or vehicle restrictions based on wildlife, or other resource needs, on 

 roads that remain open and enforce and prosecute illegal use by off-road vehicles if given authority. 

 FWP will actively work to secure authority (current authority deals only with hunters and fishermen) 

 through the appropriate process and identifv funding to support enforcement efforts. 



8. FWP supports the USPS and BLM restrictions banning all motorized off-road/trail use. 



9. Efforts will be directed towards improving the quality of habitat in site-specific areas of habitually 

 high human-caused bear mortality. Increased sanitation measures and seasonal road closures could 

 be applied. 



10. Continue effective cleaning and removal of com/grain spills from train derailments and truck wrecks. 



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